SewPassionista by DIANA

Sunday, July 23, 2017

This week, I was anxious to get back to designing using my Surefit Designs sloper. This spring , I bought a beautiful cotton knit in grey and yellow print. Grey and yellow have long been a favorite combination for me so I thought I couldn't go wrong .

My inspiration was the dress in this photo. The designer was Caroline Herrera.

I used the knit version of my Surefit Designs sloper and achieved the slight A-line by closing a bit of the bust dart and opening it at the hem level. I lowered the neckline 1 ", took a little off the armscye above the notches and I happily cut out my dress.

The trim came from a coordinating stripe print of the same fabric.I sewed the trim to all edges,
wrapped it around the seam allowances and then stitched close to the inner edge.

For the center front , I used my beloved Wonder Tape and overlapped the edges at the seam line.

Everything went wonderfully well , the fit is great , and the style is a little loose and just right for hot, muggy weather. A thought went through my head when I tried it on that it might look like a nightie !!

I went upstairs to show my hubby and guess what he said !

" Oh, is that a duster ? !!!!!"

For those of you who are younger or maybe are reading from a different country, years ago a duster was a short housecoat, at least in this area.

Well I of course didn't want anyone to think it looked like lounge wear and so I said

" Oh, it isn't that bad is it ? "

He looked skeptical and replied,

"Just as long as you don't wear to church or in public or something !"
Well, of course, then, I had to admit I agreed with him. So my grey/yellow/dress will only be worn at home on hot days . But I'm happy with the style and the fit and it gave me confidence to try more designs using my SFD system.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have more for you next week so please come back.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

I've had a long standing love affair with Vogue 8605 which is now out of print.

The first time I made it about 8 years ago, I found it to have way too much ease so the versions I made subsequently were much closer fitting. I also changed the collar on most of them to a wing collar. Want to see all my versions? Click here.

Recently made jackets look like this linen one I made for my Fashion Show as the silent auction piece. My sister bought it because she loves everything I make and I wish I had taken a photo of her wearing it at the time !!! the fabric is a linen tweed which after washing and drying three times on a hot setting doesn't wrinkle at all. Thank you Sandra Betzina for that valuable hint many years ago.

This is all to show you my latest version of this favorite pattern Voila ! A retro print housecoat ! I love it !!! Isn't it pretty ?

I added a front facing because this pattern requires a two sided fabric.

The fabric is a quilted look polyester from Fabricville.. I know ! It will be hot to wear but I couldn't resist it.It reminded me of a robe I had in 1968. Those were the days of the mini skirt and it was a mini.That was a long time ago and minis are no longer for me, LOL.

I really love the pockets in this pattern and I've used them on many fashion pieces through the years.
For this one I faced the inside of the pocket in a bright pink for interest.

I hoped to find the same pink for buttons but that was not meant to be. I settled for these lovely clear ones .

I serged the seams on this piece rather than doing my usual Hong Kong finishes to save time.The whole thing was machine sewn including hems. It was a quick make and I absolutely love my new lounger. We're having a fairly cool summer here in the Maritimes so I've already worn it. It feels wonderful on.

This week I plan on making a new dress because I gave many of my old ones away to make room for new ones. i plan to use my Surefit Designs sloper to create it. i love doing pattern work so it will be a fun project.
i hope you found time to sew and that you'll stop by to see me again.
More later from

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Hi Everyone. Happy 150th birthday to Canada and 4th of July to Americans !

It's very hard to believe that 50 years have gone by since our grand celebration of Canada's 100th birthday in 1967. I was 19 years old ,in college, and working for the summer in Montreal. There was the World 's Fair called Expo 67 in Montreal and we were so proud to be Canadians. It was just before Pierre Elliot Trudeau became our Prime Minister and today , his son Justin Trudeau is our PM.Life was good then and it is now . The only difference for me is that I was young then and am just about to be considered old now. (Sigh ) LOL....................................................................................................................................................................

I've never sewn so much in my life as I have for the past three months.

I mentioned I was putting on my second Fashion Show in early June and it was a huge success. I sewed over 100 pieces and they are pretty much all gone. With the help of my Sewing Group, we raised $1200 I took out $300 for my expenses and the rest went to the Food Bank and a local school Breakfast Program.

I no sooner finished that event when it was suggested I make stuff to sell to raise money for our church. That was yesterday and last week , with the help of my trusty White Superlock Electronic Serger and my wonderful Janome DC6030 sewing machine , I created another 45 pieces. I've become a one woman assembly line !! I know. That doesn't make sense. But I've gotten so I can make 8 or 9 pieces a day.

I have many pics of my various pieces on my Flicker site but here are a few of my favorites.

Diana's Tops so namedbecause I discovered this style in Vancouver and copied it On the left is the original, on the right my own copy and here , a folder of some of the ones I made for the Show. At Diana's Sewing Lessons, I have the complete directions for making this top prepared for a Worhshop I held for 8 ladies who all made their own versions.

My Diana's Top has been a big seller and I can't make enough of them.

Kacy's Wrap by Silhouette Patterns using this Let's Sew Video.

For my Fashion Show I made one special door prize. This time it was this caftan

I used an OOp pattern for this.

For each of my shows I carefully sewed a special item for a silent auction . This time it was this linen jacket using my all time favorite pattern V8065.

I raised anther 500 dollars on my latest venture and now I need a break . My neck is hurting and my Sewing is going to be slow sewing for myself in the next little while. I need a new summer housecoat and a nightie. I also want to make Sandra Betzina's new jacket pattern V1549 in white linen I bought in Paris last year.

i hope to blog more regularly in the next little while so please come back to see me and enjoy the summer weather

Thursday, June 15, 2017

The Fashion Show for which I sewed 100 items !!! and which my Sewing Group helped me put on was a huge success. We made a whopping $1200 dollars, $1000 of it going to charity, the rest I kept for my expenses. I'll sort through my photos and show you some of the items next time.

You may have seen my first version here. This green version was made to test adding a bust dart to the pattern. After I found that to work well ,I put this one aside until it was time to wear summer clothes.

The sizing description for this pattern was fitted so I cut a size larger and that worked well for me.

The fabric is ponte knit from my stash but bought at Fabricville.. I had smaller quantity of the prints and because I cut the back piece all in one instead of the way the pattern showed,

, I had to do this at the back hem .

And it doesn't look too bad, I think. I added that little wedge for added interest ????

I had a hard time to get these pics done. I think I need a new camera. Most of them were blurred for some reason. These were the only ones that weren't.

I'm every bit as tired as I look in these photos. I battled mosquitoes half the night ! Ugh !!!!

Come back later and I'll post some of the things I made for my fashion show. They were all easy makes but very popular !

First though I'm off to Quebec City with my sister for a few days . Yeah !

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About Me

A truly happy life,a wonderful husband, three children and two stepchildren who all make me proud; six beloved grandchildren who bring me so much joy
Sewing is not only my hobby but my passion and my creative outlet.I couldn't live without it.

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Welcome To My Blog

I'd like to thank all of you who stop by to visit and to look at what I make.You, my sewing friends from cyberspace, are dear to me .Knowing you're out there in many parts of the world thrills me. You enrich my life with your kind comments and your inspiration.LOL.Diana (aka Sew Passionista)